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'Family Always Knows Best' - New Pope's Brother Confirms His Favorite U.S. Sports Team

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated May 8, 2025 10:03 PM ET

As the first American to be elected pope, Leo XIV must have had a sports team or several that he followed when he was growing up. As it so happens, there was at least one that he was passionate about.

Before he was Leo XIV, the pope was Robert Prevost. Born in Chicago in 1955, he lived in the suburb of Dolton until going to seminary, then Villanova University for college and finally on a mission to Peru.

In an interview with ABC News, the pope's brother John Dalton revealed that the two of them were big fans of the Chicago White Sox growing up. "He's a regular, run-of-the-mill person," Prevost said.

There were some reports emerging in the hours after he was elected pope that Leo XIV might be a Chicago Cubs fan. But Prevost made it clear that they support The South Siders.

"Whoever said Cubs on the radio got it wrong. It's Sox," he told NBC Chicago.

Well, would you look at that... Congratulations to Chicago's own Pope Leo XIV pic.twitter.com/U5DJ7TOyDr
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 8, 2025

NBC News did a little further digging and confirmed from a reported source in the Vatican that Pope Leo texted him directly to confirm his support for the White Sox.

"NBC News has also confirmed from a Vatican spokesperson that the Pope roots for the South Siders," the outlet reported.

"Father Farrell, the vicar general of the Order of St. Augustine, also said he texted the pope to confirm his allegiance and received a 'papal text' back confirming he is a Sox fan."

The Chicago White Sox were, of course, overjoyed to learn that the new Pontiff supports their team. They have offered him a public invitation to "his ballpark" and have pledged to send him a White Sox jersey and hat to celebrate his election.

"Family always knows best, and it sounds like Pope Leo XIV’s lifelong fandom falls a little closer to 35th and Shields," the team said. "Some things are bigger than baseball, but in this case, we’re glad to have a White Sox fan represented at the Vatican. A pinstripe White Sox jersey with his name on it and a hat is already on the way to Rome, and of course, the Pontiff always is welcome at his ballpark."

There you have it.

And it looks like we were 0-6.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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